Is it time to sell your home and move on to the next chapter of your life?
Whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, or moving far, far away, you need to maximize the value of your home. That means you’re going to have a few dozen little projects to get your home ready for sale.
Improving the curb appeal is the first step in getting your home ready. It can add as much as 7% to the value of your home, putting thousands of more dollars into your bank account.
Read on to learn how to improve curb appeal and get the most value out of your home.
What Is Curb Appeal?
So, what exactly is curb appeal? Curb appeal is the impression they get of your home from the curb. It’s often the very first time that someone is seeing the home.
You know that first impressions are everything, and that’s just as true when someone pulls up to the front of your home. If your curb appeal is lacking because there are high weeds in front and the home is surrounded by a rusty chainlink fence, then no one’s going to be impressed.
One the other hand, a home with high curb appeal will look taken care of. The lawn is cut and the home has a lot of charm to it.
Do you have to wait to sell your home to worry about curb appeal? Not at all. Curb appeal always matters to you and to your neighbors. When everyone in the neighborhood has great curb appeal, everyone in the neighborhood benefits from higher home values.
The home values can continue to creep up, so when it comes time for you to sell your home, you can do so for even more money.
How to Improve Curb Appeal
Now that you know what curb appeal is, how do you improve it to get the highest value out of the home. Here are a few tips that you can implement and increase the curb appeal of your home.
1. Give Your Curb Appeal an Honest Assessment
When was the last time you thought about your home’s curb appeal? It’s probably been a while, which is why you have to give your home an honest evaluation as to what can be fixed.
You can approach the front of your home like someone seeing your home for the first time. Write down your thoughts, such as what you like and don’t like about the appearance of your home.
It’s OK to be critical of your home in this assessment. This will give you a punch list of things to improve your curb appeal.
2. Landscaping
The landscaping of your home adds a lot of value to the curb appeal. You can improve your landscaping by adding fresh mulch around the edge of the home.
You can also plant flowers that have a lot of colors or add planters with flowers close to the front door.
3. Look Up
How does your roof look? Everything on the ground floor can look perfect, and potential buyers are super excited to go inside to see the rest of the home.
They happen to glance upwards and notice a few missing shingles and broken shingles. That takes the wind out of the sails immediately.
The roof of your home is a big part of curb appeal but often overlooked. At the very least, you should repair and replace any missing or broken shingles in your home. You may want to contact a roofing contractor to make sure those missing shingles haven’t turned into leaks.
That could turn into a major and unpleasant surprise when you have the home inspected. It could also drag down the value of your home or cause the sale to fail.
4. Make Your Home Inviting
You want your home to look welcoming and inviting right from the start. How appealing is your walkway? You could add plants or flowers along the edge of the walkway to make it more welcoming.
You can also paint the front door to make it pop and draw people into the home.
5. Online Curb Appeal Matters
It’s not just real-life curb appeal that matters when you’re selling your home. Online curb appeal seems to matter even more these days. The majority of home buyers start looking for homes online.
Your real estate agent usually is in charge of advertising the property online, but understanding the power of online curb appeal can only help you.
Online curb appeal’s impact occurs in two places: the listing description and the photos.
The listing description should be full of colorful words such as charming or quaint to describe the home. The listing should appeal to buyers by spotlighting what’s great about the home. For example, nearby schools or amenities like an open concept kitchen are what buyers look for.
Don’t be afraid to tell the story of the home. It shows buyers that the home is loved and cared for and adds personality to the listing.
The pictures that accompany the listing need to be of professional quality. It’s no longer acceptable to have someone go through the home with a smartphone.
These photos tend to look bad because the person taking the photos doesn’t understand how to light or compose an image. They may even have a photo complete with a reflection of themselves appear in the image.
Improving Curb Appeal One Tip at a Time
When it comes to increasing the value of your home, you need to start with curb appeal. How to improve curb appeal starts by doing your own assessment of your home’s curb appeal.
You want to make sure you take on the roof, improve the landscaping, and make your home welcoming. Don’t forget that online curb appeal matters, too.
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